The present invention relates generally to knitted fabrics and methods of producing such fabrics. More specifically, this invention relates to a warp knitted fabric capable of being sanded, brushed, napped, sheared, or otherwise having the pile yarns of the technical back raised or broken to produce a plush surface.
In warp knitted fabrics, it is known that to create a plush raised surface on its technical back, one set of warp yarns must be knitted in a stitch pattern to produce an extended underlap of yarn on the technical back of the fabric. The technical back can then be brushed to allow the individual fibers of the yarn to be broken and raised to form a plush face. Often, these fibers must then be sheared, in an additional step, to produce a uniform plush face yielding a velour-like effect. However, problems may be encountered with the durability of these fabrics, in that the weakened structures may be susceptible to unwanted performance characteristics such as stretch, creep, and pilling.